Closing Social Security Office Distinct Possibility
Staff Reporter
Just when local officials
thought ^the debate over the
closing of the Statesville
Social Security Department
had been settled, or at least
held in check, comes word
that Hickory District Manager
Max Davis is looking for new
office space to house his 28
employees plus the seven he’ll
gain when the Statesville
office closes.
According to information in
the Feb. 2 edition of the
Hickory Daily Record, the
Government Services
Administration is accepting
bids for a 10,000 square-foot
office building with at least 60
parking spaces. Smith is quot
ed as saying that it is hoped
the move can be made by the
end of the year.
This puts assurances
Statesville officials received
from Deputy Commissioner
for Operations Janice Warden
in doubt. In a November meet
ing with Mayor John
Marshall, Warden §aid that
before any decision affecting
the office was started a thor
ough study considering all
factors, including the county’s
growth, would be assembled.
This data, she said, would be
given to elected and public
leaders in the community for
review and response.
Only after this, she said,
would the Social Security
Administration reach a deci
sion on whether they would
leave the office as it is, reduce
it in size, close it, or'increase
the size of the current office.
She said that nothing would be
done about closing or chang
ing the Statesville office for a
year and probably at least five
years.
Employees of the Statesville
office and others have long
questioned the wisdom behind
the proposed closing the oft ice
rr
and the lack ot evidence sup
porting such a move. In
September, at a public forum,
Ron Tysinger, N.C. Area
Director of Social Security
was asked for copies of all
data relating to the closing.
Tysinger said that would not
be possible, explaining that
some information in the study
could not be made public.
Questions arose from the floor
as to the study being public
information; therefore, avail
able to the public.
Rosemary Kelley, who serves
as both a claims representative
and shop steward for the
Statesville office, feels that
officials did not do a compre
hensive study of the county
and were simply not aware
that Iredell County “ . . . had
two decent sized towns -
Mooresville and Statesville -
and with the annexation of
Meek Neck would be gaining
between eight and 10 percent
of the North Mecklenburg
population, increasing the
county’s current 105,000 pop
ulation by 20,000. In addition,
because of the configuration
of Iredell County, . the
Statesville office also serves
parts of Alexander and Davie
Counties.” The Hickory office
handles claims for Catawba,
Caldwell, Alexander, Burke
and Avery counties.
On an average day, 75 clients
are processed through the
Statesville Social Security
office which is staffed by
seven claims officers, two ser
vice representatives, a recep
tionist and Manager Carolyn
Ledford, who came on board
after Peggy Buillion retired
June 27, 1997.
According to Kelley, when
local offices are absorbed into
larger district offices, the
department establishes a con
tact or satellite station which
operate out of donated space a
half day, one or two days a
• • Iredell
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week. Because these stations
are not equipped with direct
computer links to the
Baltimore main frame, all a
claims representative can do
for a client is take the infor
mation and process it into the
computer when he gets back
to the district office. This, she
says, will cause delays in pro
cessing claims and providing
necessary information to
clients.
Iredell County is ranked the
18th largest county in the state
and is 13th highest in revenue.
The county ranks third in the
state for residential and com
mercial building permits
according to the Statesville
\
Chamber of Commerce.
Officials also point out that
with its central location
between 1-40 and 1-77 contin
ued, steady growth can not be
avoided.
The current lease** on the
Statesville office runs through
Aug. 1, 2000.
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